“Moses, Elijah, and Jesus”
[Luke
9:28-36]
February 19, 2012 Second Reformed Church
Today is Transfiguration
Sunday. On this day, we remember what
Peter referred to as he wrote: “For we
did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For
when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne
to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were
with him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:16-18, ESV).
This took place about eight days
after Peter’s profession that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, to which Jesus
explained to the Twelve that He “must suffer many things and be rejected by the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be
raised” (Luke 9:22, ESV). And He
explained to the Twelve that they must be ready and willing to suffer and die
likewise for His Sake, yet, Jesus said, “But I tell you truly, there are some
standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God” (Luke
9:27, ESV).
Our text this morning is at least
the beginning of the fulfillment of that prophecy – that some of the Twelve
would live to see “the kingdom of God.”
By this, Jesus meant that they would see the Heavenly Glory that proves
Him to be exactly who Peter confessed Him to be – the Son of God Incarnate, the
long-awaited Savior.
“Now about eight days after these
sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain
to pray.” So, Jesus went to pray with
His inner circle – Peter, James, and John.
They ascended Mount Hermon again, and they went to pray in the place
where Peter had confessed Jesus to be to Savior.
Unbeknown to Peter, James, and John,
who had fallen asleep as He prayed, “[as Jesus] was praying, the appearance of
his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two
men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of
his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”
As Jesus prayed, we understand,
Jesus’ Body began to change – it began to appear as it now appears –
glorified. Jesus’ Face changed – His
very clothing was affected and shone with a dazzling white light.
John describes his vision of Jesus
on the island of Patmos: “Then I turned
to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden
lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed
with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head
were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his
feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like
the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth
came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full
strength” (Revelation 1:12-16, ESV).
In the Kingdom, in Glory, all
darkness and shadow are cast away as the Light of the Glory of God penetrates
and permeates and seeks out every corner of Creation.
Moses also was granted a glimpse of
this: “ And
the LORD said to Moses, ‘This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for
you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.’ Moses said, ‘Please
show me your glory.’ And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you
and will proclaim before you my name “The LORD.” And I will be gracious to whom
I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,’ he
said, ‘you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.’ And the LORD
said, ‘Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and
while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will
cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand,
and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen’” (Exodus 33:17-23,
ESV).
Human eyes cannot look on the Pure Glory
of God and live, because our eyes are finite.
Even when they are holy and glorified in the Kingdom, our eyes will not
be able to look upon the Pure Glory of God, because our eyes will still be
finite – they will still be unequipped to handle the greatness of that
splendor.
However, as was revealed to Peter,
James, and John – and as we have recently seen in Hebrews – we can view the
Glory of God mediated through the Person of Jesus Christ. Even in Glory, though it is dazzling to our
eyes, we will be able to look upon the Glory of Jesus, because God’s Glory – His
Divinity – is mediated through His Human Body.
This moment on the mountain was at least
the first piece of the fulfillment of Jesus’ Words that some of them would see
the Kingdom – the Glory – the Splendor of God.
“Wait
a minute,” some of you are thinking, “Moses and Elijah had been dead for about
1,500 years. How could Jesus have been
talking with Moses and Elijah? How could
they have been on the mount with Him?”
Was
it really Moses and Elijah? Yes, it was
really them. Were they enfleshed – were
they in their bodies – or were they spirits?
We’re not told. What we do know
is that there are examples of bringing the spirit of a dead person to visibly
appear (cf. I Samuel 28:15), and we know that the dead have been raise in their
bodies. So, whether in their bodies or
just in their spirit, we can believe that it was really Moses and Elijah who
spoke with Jesus on the mountain.
“But
how would Peter, James, and John know what Moses and Elijah looked like? How would they have recognized them?”
We’re
not told. Perhaps God told them who they
were.
“But
why did Elijah and Moses meet with Jesus to talk about what must happened in
Jerusalem?”
For
several reasons:
First,
Moses and Elijah came to talk with Jesus as representatives of the Law and the
Prophets. Moses is shown to be the great
lawgiver of the people of Israel, and Elijah was considered the greatest
prophet, so they came representing the Law and the Prophets – God’s Whole
Word. They talked with Jesus not merely
bout the fact that He would suffer and die in Jerusalem, but that His suffering
and dying would fulfill everything that was written in the Law and the
Prophets.
We
remember Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17,
ESV). Jesus fulfilled the Law and the
Prophets by keeping God’s Law perfectly and by fulfilling all the prophecies
that were made about the Savior God promised to send.
Second,
it assured them that Jesus willed His Death – no one took Jesus’ Life from
Him. As He himself said, “I am the good
shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I
know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep
that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my
voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father
loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes
it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it
down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received
from my Father” (John 10:14-18, ESV).
Third,
it showed them, visually, that Jesus is the Savior – God in Flesh, as Peter had
confessed Him. Jesus’ Glory was hidden –
concealed – behind His Flesh. As Paul
explained, “but [Jesus] emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being
born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7, ESV). Jesus did not come in His Glory when He
incarnated – He kept His Glory hidden; only allowing a glimpse here and there.
And
we might wonder: why didn’t Jesus just
come in glory to begin with? Why didn’t
He show Himself to be fully Divine from the moment He came to earth? Wouldn’t that have been a more effective way
to convince people that He is the Savior God promised?
The
answer is the one Jesus gave as He recounted the history of Dives and Lazarus,
when Dives asked Abraham to raise Lazarus from the dead to warn Dives’ brothers
of their impending doom and eternity in Hell, “He said to him, ‘If they do not
hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should
rise from the dead’” (Luke 16:31, ESV).
The
point is this: every human being knows
enough to know that he or she needs a Savior.
Everyone understands that he or she is a sinner and needs to be made
right with God. Everyone knows that he
or she is incapable of doing enough good to be right with God. So the greatest question ever asked is, “What
must one do to be right with God?” And
the answer is what Moses and Elijah – and all of God’s Word teaches – believe
in the Savior God sends.
God
has sent the Law and the Prophets. They
contain the proof that no one can be right with God without a Savior. So, if someone refuses to accept the Law and
the Prophets, seeing God in the Flesh, much less a person raised from the dead,
will not convince them.
“Now Peter and those who were with him
were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and
the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter
said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents,
one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said.”
Something
woke Peter, James, and John, and they saw that Jesus was transfigured before
them: He was revealing a glimpse of His
Glory as He talked with Moses and Elijah about the events that were coming –
about His betrayal, trial, torture, crucifixion – about what He would
accomplish in Jerusalem – where He would take on the punishment for the sins of
all those who would believe savingly in Him.
And Peter being Peter, cried out, “Let us build tents for You and Moses
and Elijah!” “Let’s have a camp out!”
Peter
and the others were so captivated by the sight of the Glory of Jesus that they
spoke in fear and frenzy – they didn’t want the experience to end. They didn’t want Moses and Elijah to
leave. What might happen to them if they
were left alone with Jesus Transfigured – radiating Glory?
They
were terrified and exhilarated. Have you
ever done something that both terrified you and excited you beyond belief? That would be a little bit like what they
were feeling during this experience.
“Don’t go! Stay! Don’t leave us alone! Don’t leave us alone
with Jesus!”
A
similar but lesser experience had occurred on the Sea of Galilee: “And when [Jesus] got into the boat, his disciples
followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the
boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke
him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing.’ And he said to them, ‘Why are
you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the
sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, ‘What sort of
man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’” (Matthew 8:23-27, ESV).
“As
he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were
afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This
is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!’”
Peter,
James, and John were getting off track – they were missing the point of what
they were beholding, so God enveloped them in a cloud so they could no longer
see – and they were afraid. And then
they heard God, Himself, speak out of the cloud telling them to stop fretting,
to stop making plans, to stop trying to hold on to what they were seeing – and
to listen to Jesus.
God
was telling them that they were not ready to see the fullness of the Glory of God
– even mediated through Jesus. For now,
they had received Jesus – and it was time to listen to Him. As we will remember, the author of Hebrews
wrote. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by
the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he
appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews
1:1-2, ESV).
They
needed not to see miracles and signs and wonders, but they needed to listen to
the highest authority in existence – the Word of God. Likewise, we do not need to see signs and
wonders or have the veil pulled back that we might see the Glory of God,
because He has revealed Himself to us in His Word, and in that, He says it is
enough. We know Jesus – initially, only
through His Word, and then through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in us.
Do
you want to know Jesus? Do you want to
see His Glory? Read the Bible. Listen to Jesus.
“And
when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told
no one in those days anything of what they had seen.”
They had seen enough, and now what
needed to be emphasized to them is not that they need Jesus and Moses and
Elijah – not that salvation is by Jesus plus the Law plus the prophets – but
that Jesus fulfills the Law and the Prophets – and salvation in Only in Jesus
Alone. There is no salvation in the Law
or the Prophets. We cannot be made right
by keeping the Law and the Prophets, because no fallen human being can keep
them. Our Hope is in Jesus – and in Him Alone.
In the Transfiguration, Peter,
James, and John saw the Kingdom of God.
God confirmed to them that Jesus is
the One Glorious Divine God.
They were shown that Jesus is the
fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
They understood that Jesus went to
His Death willingly – as part of His Plan to save all those who would believe
in Him.
They understood that the glory that
is coming is beyond imagination.
And they understood that salvation
in Only in Jesus Alone, so they ought to listen to Him.
The Kingdom of God continues to come
among us, and it will come in its fullness when Jesus returns. We can begin to see the Glory of the Kingdom
of God – the Glory of Jesus, as we read the Bible and listen to Jesus as the
Holy Spirit helps us to understand His Word.
Let us wait patiently for the day of
the full indwelling of the Kingdom. And
let us not be seeking signs and wonders, but let us, instead, sit at the feet
of Jesus and hear His Word.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for
coming to earth and making Yourself known to Your people. We thank You that You have given us Your Word
so that we who were not on the mountain can know You in Your Glory and look
forward to Your Return. Prepare us, and
drive us to listen to You. In Jesus’
Name, Amen.
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